The Consortium’s work over the six months of its existence is preliminary and, to date, it has produced more questions than answers. For instance, although we have determined that the number and size of oil spills in the Gulf are greatly underreported, we have significant questions about whether it is possible to determine the magnitude of the underreporting. Likewise, we have significant questions about the best way to optimize use of the resources available to us, especially satellite imagery, and maximize the information obtainable from them. And, of course, the fundamental question of the cumulative impact of these releases remains unanswered. We hope to make progress toward answering these and more questions as the Consortium continues to refine its work.
